Architecture is a field that has been traditionally male dominated, and it has been slow to change and slow to celebrate the achievements of many gifted female architects. 

The first known woman architect, who designed her own house, Weston Hall in Staffordshire in the 1670’s, was Lady Elizabeth Wilbraham (1632-1705). She was followed in the 1790’s by the Parminter cousins, who built themselves a house in Devon (A La Ronde, Exmouth, Devon) in 1792-8 and Mary Townley, a cousin and pupil of Sir Joshua Reynolds, who designed several houses including her own, Townley House Mansion (1792), for her developer husband.

In 1898 Ethel Charles became the first woman to gain entry to the Royal Institute of British Architects, followed by her sister Bessie in 1900, but the Architectural Association (AA) only began to admit women in 1917.

With the RIBA celebrating Women’s History Month, we look at the lives and work of three famous female architects who have made a significant impact on the field. They are Zaha Hadid, Maya Lin, and Denise Scott Brown. Each of these women has a unique story and approach to architecture, but all have made significant contributions to the field.

Zaha Hadid:

Zaha Hadid was a trailblazer for women in architecture. Her innovative and futuristic designs, which often featured curvilinear shapes and dynamic lines, helped redefine the possibilities of contemporary architecture.

Zaha Hadid was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1950. She studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut before moving to London to study architecture at the Architectural Association School of Architecture. 

One of Hadid's most famous works is the Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein, Germany. Completed in 1993, the building features a dynamic, sweeping roofline that creates a sense of movement and energy. Hadid also designed the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, Ohio, which was completed in 2003. The building features a series of intersecting curves and angles that create a dynamic and visually striking space.

Another notable project of Hadid's is the Guangzhou Opera House in China, completed in 2010. The building's flowing curves and undulating rooflines were designed to mimic the contours of the nearby Pearl River. Hadid also designed the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan, which was completed in 2013. The building's sweeping curves and dynamic shapes create a sense of fluidity and motion.

Throughout her career, Hadid received numerous awards and accolades for her work. She was the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004 and was also awarded the Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2016. Sadly, Hadid passed away in 2016 at the age of 65, but her legacy of iconic buildings continue to inspire architects around the world.

Maya Lin:

Maya Lin was born in Athens, Ohio, in 1959. She studied architecture at Yale University, where she designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as a student project. The memorial, which was completed in 1982, features a series of black granite walls that are inscribed with the names of those who lost their lives in the Vietnam War.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was controversial when it was first unveiled, as it departed from traditional memorial design by not glorifying the war but instead focusing on the human cost of the conflict. However, it has since become one of the most visited memorials in the United States and a powerful symbol of the human toll of war.

Lin went on to design numerous other memorials, including the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, and the Women's Table at Yale University. She has also designed numerous public spaces and buildings, including the Museum of Chinese in America in New York City and the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Lin's work is known for its simplicity and sensitivity to the surrounding environment. She often incorporates natural elements, such as water and stone, into her designs and seeks to create spaces that are both functional and meaningful. Lin has received numerous awards for her work, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.

Denise Scott Brown:

Denise Scott Brown is an architect, planner, writer, and educator who has made significant contributions to the field of architecture over her long and illustrious career. She was born in 1931 in Nkana, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and later moved to South Africa before pursuing her education in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States.

Scott Brown is perhaps best known for her work as a partner at the architectural firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates (VSBA) with her husband, Robert Venturi. Together, they championed the postmodernist movement in architecture, which emphasized the importance of context, historical references, and a sense of playfulness and irony in design. Their work challenged the dominant modernist paradigm of the time, which prioritized functionality and minimalism over ornamentation and historical references.

Scott Brown was a key figure in the design of many important buildings, including the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery in London, the Mielparque resort in Tokyo, and the Seattle Art Museum. She was also heavily involved in the design of Las Vegas, which she and Venturi famously described as a “duck” – a building that is both a literal representation of its function and a symbolic reference to its cultural context. In 2018 she was awarded the Soane Medal in recognition of her "global influence on architecture, transforming thinking about architecture and cities." 

In addition to her work in architecture, Scott Brown has also been a vocal advocate for women’s rights and diversity in the profession. She has written extensively on these topics and has been an influential educator, teaching at institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, and UCLA.

Despite her many achievements, Scott Brown has often been overshadowed by her husband, who received the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1991 without her. This sparked controversy and led to calls for greater recognition of Scott Brown’s contributions to their joint work. In 2013, the American Institute of Architects awarded her the Gold Medal, its highest honour, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field.

Denise Scott Brown’s legacy as an architect, writer, and advocate continues to inspire and influence the profession today, particularly in the areas of context, history, and cultural diversity.

We have highlighted only three of our favourite architects here but of course there have been many remarkable women who have made significant contributions to the field of architecture. Just a few additional notable names that come to mind, perhaps for your own independant research, are:

Kazuyo Sejima: 
Sejima is a Japanese architect and co-founder of the firm SANAA. Her work is characterized by a minimalist aesthetic and an emphasis on transparency and lightness. She was the first woman to receive the Pritzker Prize in her own right, in 2010.

Jeanne Gang: 
Gang is an American architect and founder of the firm Studio Gang. Her work often explores the intersection of architecture, nature, and sustainability, and she has been recognized for her innovative designs, including the Aqua Tower in Chicago and the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo. She is the only architect to be on the TIME 100 Most Influential People (2019), and is a MacArthur fellow.

Amanda Levete: 
Levete is a British architect and founder of the firm AL_A. Her work is known for its experimental approach and for pushing the boundaries of materials and construction techniques. She has designed many notable buildings, including the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology in Lisbon and the Victoria & Albert Museum Exhibition Road Quarter in London.

These are just a few examples of the many inspirational female architects who have left their mark on the profession.

We have decided to pause our newsletters for a while but we will continue to post blogs on our website (see News) on a regular basis, so do keep checking in with us to read about all things architectural. And if there is any particular subject you are interested in that might be useful for others, do let us know. We will be happy to write about it!

‘Sustainable Snippets’, is a good juncture to close on, reminding all our readers that our practice has been focussed on projects which incorporate sustainable design, energy generation and energy conservation since our inception in 1994. 

We are highly committed to this ethos and indeed have in recent years achieved the high accolade of Planning approval for no less than five ‘Paragraph’ houses in the county. These Planning exceptions relate to sites where ordinarily building projects would not be allowed, unless exceptional design and sustainability standards are met and only the highest standard of environmental design is allowed. 

Our work includes solar thermal, P.V, ground and air source heat recovery systems and even a scheme taking heat from the river Yare. We are well informed in green construction systems and have used shredded newspaper, recycled wood pulp and hemp amongst other sustainable building materials.

If you want a well-considered, informed and creative approach to your building project, get in touch. 

We look forward to hearing from you!